The director of the Majicavo prison in the French overseas department of Mayotte announced his resignation on Monday to draw attention to the working conditions in this overcrowded establishment, which was hit by a mutiny at the end of September.
"I have loved this service and this administration for 27 years: it is with a heavy heart that I leave," Nicolas Jauniaux announced on Monday, stepping down as director of the Majicavo prison.
In a video broadcast on the website of L'info Kwezi, a local television station, Jauniaux said he wanted to "draw attention" to the working conditions in the overcrowded establishment, which was marked by a mutiny and hostage-taking on 28 September.
The prison houses 650 inmates for 278 places, a record in France.
By resigning, he hopes to "contribute, in his modest way, to improving the working conditions of the staff and the living conditions of the inmates."
Wilfried Fonck, national secretary of Ufap-Unsa Justice union, told Franceinfo on Tuesday that it was "a very strong and courageous act" on Jauniaux's part.
How overseas Mayotte became 'a department apart' within France
Record overcrowding
"We have a record level of overcrowding, which has made it impossible for us to carry out our duties," Fonck explained.
He says Jauniaux's resignation should bring attention to "the French prison system as a whole", not only in Mayotte.
According to the trade unionist, "the situation in French prisons today is catastrophic."
French prison population hits new record as overcrowding concerns grow
According to the French prison service, the average occupancy rate in French prisons on 1 September was 127 percent.
But in establishments where prisoners are awaiting trial or serving short sentences, occupancy reached 153.6 percent.
In Majicavo prison, it is over 181 percent.
Mayotte is the poorest French department, has long struggled with social unrest and a crippling migration crisis linked to the arrival of thousands fleeing poverty and corruption on the African mainland.
France's interior minister last week said several deportation flights had been planned in October, as Paris seeks to clamp down on illegal immigration.
(with newswires)
